In the recent past, the new regime that has taken over the Chinese government has launched what is perhaps the most intensive anti-corruption campaign that has ever been witnessed in China. The campaign has been termed as highly intensive as the regime seeks to go after both high and low ranking individuals who perpetuate corruption in all its attendant forms. This approach is aptly captured in the words of the regime’s new leader, President Xi Jinping who terms it as going after both “tigers” and “flies”. If the statistics are anything to go by, the new regime means business. New figures indicate that about 130 senior officials at prefectural level or higher have been investigated for corruption and corruption related activities in the first eight months of 2013. Put differently, over the eight months period, at least one senior official was charged with or investigated for corruption every two days. These statistics are a pointer to the fact that corruption has been and continues to be a key challenge facing China. It has been a major legal and political issue especially since 1978 going forward. This was because it was at this time that the authorities began implementing new policies aimed at reforming and opening up the country. The onslaught on corruption received a fresh impetus from the year 1989. This was because in the period beginning from 1989, the Chinese leaders have prioritized measures aimed at curbing corruption as top most on their agenda for the country. Over the years, they have sought to continually strengthen anti-corruption activities and measures. However, despite all the effort and resources that have been put in place to combat corruption, it still remains very much alive and continues to bedevil the country. Indeed, in terms of the issues that are of greatest concern to the Chinese citizenry, corruption ranks high up the scale. It ranks second just after unemployment. This submission will focus on highlighting the causes of corruption in today’s China. It will propose some solutions that can be adopted to tackle this cancer.
Corruption in China can be attributed to numerous factors which are as diverse as the forms of corrupt acts perpetuated. The fundamental question that begs to be answered is whether there is a link between all the various causes of corruption. Put differently, is there a main contributor to the causes of China’s corruption phenomenon. In response to this question, this submission contends that indeed, there is a main contributor to the causes of China’s corruption phenomenon. The submission argues that the system of governance of the country is largely responsible for the causes of China’s corruption phenomenon. It further posits that a close examination of the causes of corruption in China will reveal ether a direct or indirect link with the system of governance of the country. Nevertheless, it is important to appreciate the fact that isolating the causes of corruption in China is a rather complicated task. This can be attributed to the fact that there are very many factors which contribute to the development and spread of corruption. The problem is further compounded by the transition of power which is still taking place. A number of examples could be used illustratively. For instance, the integration of China’s economy into the global economy has created new opportunities for corruption to occur. Indeed, such avenues as granting of licenses and procuring foreign products have been used to further corruption. Other causes of corruption include wage differentials as indicated by the slow increase in the incomes of public officials as compared to those of managers in state owned private enterprises. There is also lack of an effective system of checks and balances to ensure that there is proper supervision of officials. Moreover, the weaknesses of the current political system and incomplete political reforms have also served to undermine anti-corruption efforts. The failure to educate public officials on ethics as well as the lack of ‘commercial morality’ in economic life has also been termed as among the causes of corruption in China. All the above stated causes of corruption can be summed up by Robert Klitgaard’s theory on the causes of corruption. Klitgaard argues that the main causes of corruption can summed up in the following formula:
Corruption= Monopoly + Discretion –Accountability
The import of this formula is that where there is excessive monopoly and a wide room for discretion, coupled with a failure to hold individuals accountable for their actions, then this will be a perfect recipe for corruption. State corporations in China enjoy excessive monopolies in various sectors. Furthermore, the public officials have wide discretion to perform their tasks. However, there is an absence of effective mechanisms to hold such officials accountable for their acts. This is further compounded by the fact that key decision makers in these corporations are political appointees thus it is extremely difficult to hold them accountable as they are protected by the powers that be.
Having highlighted the causes of corruption in China, this section of the article discusses a number of legal strategies that can be adopted to tackle this issue. However, it must not be forgotten that for corruption to be tackled successfully, there is a need for far reaching reforms which go beyond legal strategies. Legal strategies are however important as it is the laws of a society with guide its conduct. First and foremost, there is a need to enact laws that will promote transparency in the system of governance in China. In other words, legislative action must be taken so as to lift the ‘veil of governance.’ As the famous saying goes, sunshine is the best disinfectant. If a legal regime that promotes transparency is established, this will go a long way in reducing corruption in China. Secondly, there is a need to establish more robust institutions to tackle corruption. These institutions must be anchored in the law. Furthermore, the laws that establish these institutions must provide for their complete independence so as to forestall any planned interference from parties who may wish to perpetuate corruption and then cover up their acts. There is also need to put in place laws that demand accountability from all public officials for all their actions. The laws must provide for clear procedures to be followed during such activities as procurement so as to limit the discretion of public officials. This will have the added benefit of making it easier to hold the officials accountable whenever they depart from the laid down procedures. Lastly, there is need to effect laws that ensure the highest levels of professionalism are observed in identifying the persons to head state corporations. This will go a long way in limiting political patronage which has characterized the appointments in such offices.
Works Cited
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Wedeman, Andrew. Double Paradox: Rapid Growth and Rising Corruption in China. Cornell University: Cornell University Press, 2012.
Zhu, Jiangnan, Jie Lu and Tianjian Shi. "When Grapevine News Meets Mass Media: Different Information Sources and Perceptions of Government Corruption in Mainland China." Comparative Political Studies (2011): 1-28.
